


Speechless

by WolfenM



Series: Here's Looking at You, Kid [2]
Category: Journey into Mystery, Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Thor (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Big Brothers, Bromance, Brother Feels, Brotherhood, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Character Study, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good Loki, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Loki, Loki Angst, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, Loki Redemption, Loki-centric, Poor Loki, Protective Thor, Thor Feels, Thor Is a Good Bro, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-16 05:49:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3476846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfenM/pseuds/WolfenM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki must pay a dwarf for a device that will hopefully stop Odin's attack on Midgard and help in the fight against the God of Fear/the Serpent. But what price will he pay?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Speechless

**Author's Note:**

> **Spoilers:** for the _Thor_ comic/ _Journey Into Mystery_ , issues #606 on, as well as for The Mighty Thor #1 onwards — most especially for JIM #625 and MT #3. If you haven't read those issues, this fic may be a bit confusing. Also, it was thoroughly "Jossed" by canon of later issues.
> 
>  **WARNING:** Involves (not very graphic, but still) mutilation of a young teen (Loki) — may squick.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** This version of Thor, Loki, The Warriors Three (Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun), Sif, Odin, Tyr, the Hel-Wolf, Hela, Mephisto, Leah, the Disir, the Avengers, and Iron Man © Marvel Entertainment. I'm just borrowing them the way they borrowed from the original myths. :P
> 
>  **Notes:** This story is not necessarily related to the one before it in this series, but also could be if you want it to be. :) While I like Thorki/Thunderfrost myself, this is not a slash Thorki fic. It was originally published at devianART in August of 2011.
> 
> While this story is always in third person, the guide below explains from whose view each section is:  
> “| ==V== |” means the section directly following it is from Loki's POV.  
> c===[] means the section directly following it is from Thor's POV.

“| ==V== |”

"I want a lock of Sif's hair," the dwarf said.

Loki blinked in confusion.

Odin was intent on destroying Midgard in order to save the rest of the nine realms and Thor from the Serpent, the God of Fear and brother to Odin. But the Norns — the Fates -- had given Loki instructions for making a device that, they'd assured Loki, would stop the Serpent and save Thor _without_ destroying Midgard.

Unfortunately, Loki didn't have the skill to make the device in question, so he'd sought out this dwarf, whom he'd commissioned once before, to make it. The dwarf almost hadn't handed over the first item Loki had asked for — a helmet that would allow him to swim to the root of the world tree — despite being paid in advance; the dwarf hadn't trusted Loki's intentions. Thankfully, Fandral had spoken on Loki's behalf, and between Fandral's logic and Loki's plea to be allowed to save Thor, an act which required said helmet, the dwarf had relented.

Still, with how much effort the whole affair had taken, Loki had expected, for this new commission, a price considerably higher than a lock of hair, as the dwarf had just requested. And that wasn't even the weirdest part: Loki had previously had a vision in which he'd felt it was imperative to get said lock, so he actually _had_ it already!

"Done!" Loki replied, taking the hair out of a hidden pocket. "But I don't get why you want it ...." he added, curious.

The dwarf was dumb with shock for several long moments, his jaw working wordlessly. "This is a trick," he finally declared. "Half of why I made that demand was because I knew she'd kill you in the attempt! There's no way that's Sif's hair!"

"Ask Sif yourself if you don't believe me," Loki suggested, shrugging. "You know she'd never lie in _my_ defense." Or so he'd been told, anyway.

"Aye, but she might in _hers_ , so even if it _is_ hers, she might not say so. Who would want to admit that a child, much less Loki, stole something from them?" the dwarf laughed.

"Sif's not like that; she has _honour_ ," Loki snapped. He didn't blame Sif for trying to kill him after breaking into her room, and she _had_ saved his life against a colossus. And she was Thor's woman, someone his beloved brother cared for; Loki owed her loyalty for that fact, did he not?

And she was very pretty ....

"Besides, by your own logic, she would never say it is her hair when it isn't!" Loki added. "In which case, feel free to ... to ... _sew my lips up for lying!_ "

"Fine," the dwarf growled. "You would not lie for something so easily proven false and with such a steep cost, so I accept the hair now as payment."

"So what was the other half?" Loki asked.

"What?"

"You said that my potential death was _half_ the reason you wanted the hair, but even with me still alive, you've accepted it. So what was the other half of why you wanted to send me to get it?"

The dwarf didn't seem like he was going to answer at first. Then, "It has been a sticking point with all dwarvenkind that you somehow turned the golden hair we made for her black."

Loki blinked again. "Hair _you_ made for her? I don't understand."

The dwarf studied him. "You _really_ don't know? Did you at least know that you've tried that stunt — cutting her hair — before?"

Loki felt his stomach drop — and his body fell along with it. He barely felt his rear end hit the ground. "I ... I did that before?" he whispered, eyes burning. He didn't want to be his old self. He _didn't_. "I ... I had a vision of myself — me as I am now — taking the hair. I felt like it was really important — _life or death_ important. That's why I did it."

The dwarf was scrutinizing him again. "Well, if you're telling the truth, then it _was_ important. Too bad I can't know for sure that you are. But I do know how all the realms might benefit from a transaction between us, so I will do as you ask — and I will consider _this_ —" he held up the hair "—to be a down-payment. If you want this device so badly, you will give me whatever _else_ I ask for, when the time comes. No refusals, and no backpedalling."

Loki bristled a moment — hadn't the dwarf said that the hair would be payment in and of itself before learning that Loki actually had it already? Still, he realised that it was pointless to get angry. The dwarf had him at his mercy now. Besides, Loki had expected the dwarf to ask for far more than hair in the first place.

"Provided that the payment is only one more item, something that is within my power to give without requiring me to steal or bamboozle anyone, then I agree to your terms," Loki finally conceded.

The dwarf smiled a most unsettling grin. "Oh, aye, lad, it will be something of your own. Now, you understand what you must fetch for the device and how to get it?"

Loki nodded. He knew all too well — and was not thrilled about the task. But thankfully he had an excuse to procrastinate on it for a while: the dwarf couldn't add the item in question until last anyway, and Loki had other pressing matters to attend to first ....

“| ==V== |”

The time had come. Loki had his allies, his pieces for his play against the Serpent. He and the Hel-Wolf had found the final piece to the device in Limbo, then escaped (looking the worse for wear after having gotten into a few scrapes with monsters along the way). They'd returned to where the others waited — others who all looked expectantly to him now, waiting for orders.

"We're heading to Asgard next, to pick up something, and then we're off to Midgard," he informed them.

“ | ==V== | ”

"What the hell is this?" the dwarf asked when the small army appeared on his doorstep.

"We're on our way to Midgard; we just came to pick up the device first," Loki explained, holding out a ghostly eye.

"You found it," the dwarf remarked as he took it, visibly impressed. "Good — I'd have hated to have wasted the work."

Loki shrugged. "It seemed to _want_ to be found."

The dwarf raised a brow. "It must have been pretty desperate if it was willing to be found by _you_."

"Believe you me, anyone would do _anything_ to get out of there. Well, except Odin," the Hel-wolf replied. The creature was in a position to know, having been fighting Odin there when Thor drew them both forth from Limbo (Odin purposefully, the Hel-wolf accidentally); Odin had been quite angry with Thor, having _liked_ being in Limbo.

Loki could have said something to this, but decided it was wiser to not remark on it, instead asking, "And what is the other part of your price for the device?"

"Your tongue," the dwarf informed him, the scary grin returned.

Loki gave a nervous laugh. "No, really." He didn't have time for games.

" _Really_ ," the dwarf echoed. "I want to be sure you can never lie your way out of anything again. I'll be doing the nine realms a favour, one I'm sure many will be grateful for. Just be glad I don't ask for your _head_ — you actually offered that once."

"As I recall, the dwarves he'd made that offer to had to settle for sewing his mouth shut," Tyr spoke up, surprising Loki with the defense (and, unsettlingly, with the revelation that the idea of sewing his lips together wasn't new).

"Loki'd already had the items he'd wanted in hand at the time. I'll not make that same mistake," the dwarf insisted. "He wants the goods, he's gotta pay up first."

Loki trembled, his legs suddenly turned to water, or so it felt like. His wits, too, seemed to liquify; he couldn't see a way out of this, not in time. They had to leave, _now_.

"Lad," Tyr began, laying a steadying hand on Loki's shoulder, "we'll get Odin. He'll find a better way to get what we need."

Loki appreciated Tyr's gesture, he really did — especially seeing as Tyr had tried to kill him fairly recently. Loki felt a momentary glow of pride: he reckoned he must have impressed Tyr, proved to him he was not the evil he'd once been, for Tyr to show him _any_ measure of kindness.

And then Loki remembered what exactly Tyr was being kind to him _over_ , what they didn't have time to wait for Odin _for_ , and his fear threatened to swallow him up again. Besides ... "Odin would gladly pay with my tongue, so we might as well save ourselves some time and effort and not bother him," Loki insisted.

Loki then told the dwarf, "Give me a moment to say my last orders," before turning back to his army. "Tyr will be general; obey him as you would me. Keep the Serpent well away from Thor; if they meet, both he and Midgard are done for. Try not to hurt any humans in the process, but protecting Thor is your top priority."

He wasn't certain, but he thought he might have spied a spark of pity in Leah's eyes.

Loki turned back to the dwarf then. "Be quick."

The dwarf was, hurrying into his shop and returning all too soon with a blade, glowing hot, and a pair of tongs. Kneeling, trying not to vomit (the dwarf might not let him have the device if he did that all over him), Loki opened his mouth and closed his eyes, dreading the coming moments more than he had anything in his new life this far. He felt a heavy hand on one shoulder, and a light hand on the other, and his trembling eased for a moment — at least until the tongs closed on his tongue, sending a ripple of terror through him. He was vaguely aware of hot tears pouring down his cheeks like rain.

A moment later, as sharp, heated metal met flesh, he wasn't aware of _anything_ his body did anymore, his only senses being of bright, all-encompassing, _searing_ pain — and then of cold, blessed darkness.

c===[]

Thor watched the coming tide of Asgardians with a broken heart. He had not brought them back from Limbo just so that they could die again by his own hand! And this time, there would be no resurrection, he didn't think. He wasn't entirely sure how it worked, but he suspected that, now that the cycle of Ragnarok was done and there was a Hel again, all Asgardians were destined to go there (or Valhalla) henceforth after death.

He knew his fellow Avengers, and Sif and the Warriors Three, would do all they could to avoid bringing lethal harm against Odin's approaching army, but he also knew that the rest of the Aesir would not extend the same courtesy.

Odin had brought them here, to Midgard, to destroy all life, in hopes of destroying the Serpent in the process. Thor had hoped to find and destroy the Serpent himself, before Odin's legions could arrive, but had failed to find the God of Fear. Now Thor was caught between the two fronts of a war — and unfortunately, one of them was basically invisible. Also unfortunately, Odin didn't _need_ to find the Serpent: the King of Asgard had the luxury of not needing to avoid harming any Midgardians.

Thor was glad Loki was safe, up in Asgard. The boy had a naive dream that Asgard would always be safe, that Thor and his friends would always be able to protect it — a naivete Thor wished he could share. Loki would cheerfully try to talk their father out of his mad plan — and Odin then might very well try to take Loki down with Midgard.

"Have you come to your senses, boy? Do you join us, son?" Odin boomed at Thor once he, at the head of the Asgardian line, was within a few feet of Thor.

"I—"

Before Thor could reply, another, deep voice cried out, "No, father. But then, I suspect that  you will divert yourself from this mad course once you take part in what I bring to you."

It was Tyr.

With the ghostly Asgardian was a young woman, and the missing Hel-Wolf — and a host of Disir. Even the living legions of Odin seemed to shrink back from their terrifying countenance. Was Tyr working with the God of Fear, then?

"Do you betray us too, then, Tyr? Do you work alongside Hela? Have you brought those ... _things_ with you to feast upon our dead?"

"It would be hard for them to feast if there was no battle," Tyr replied, having reached Odin. The late God of War held a box out to his father. "A gift for my king, from your son."

Tyr opened the box, revealing a mechanical eye.

"It may not serve as well as one of flesh and blood, but the soul of your old eye resides within it.  May it guide you with the compassion you seem to have lost, and let you see again that the people of Midgard are _also_ your children."

Odin laughed, but also glanced at the new eye longingly with the old. "Such pretty words! Since when do you care of peace, Tyr? Or Midgard, for that matter?"

"I do not," Tyr replied with a shrug. "Though admittedly I am not so lonely that I would see more of my brethren join me in Hel, I come under the orders of my queen, and I speak the words of one who can no longer speak for himself."

Tyr gestured toward the Hel-Wolf, which Thor realised was looking a little worse for wear. (The thing was so ugly to begin with, it was hard to tell.)

"Since when can't that ugly mutt speak?" Odin scoffed.

"First of all, pot meet kettle," the Hel-Wolf replied. "And secondly, how did an idiot like you get to be king?"

Odin laughed. "You'd rather I were killing you day after day again in Limbo?" he asked, a murderous gleam in his eye.

"I'd rather someone get this kid off my back," the Hel-Wolf replied, turning to reveal an unconscious rider.

Thor's heart stopped for a moment.

_Loki._

Thor hurried over, and the Hel-Wolf tipped to the side, so that Loki began to slide off. Thor caught his brother, then looked him over; Loki seemed as battered as the Hel-Wolf, but not seriously wounded. The boy's brow was furrowed — in pain or a bad dream? Thor wasn't sure which would be worse, really.

"Loki? Brother? Are you all right?" Thor asked.

Loki's eyes fluttered, and he moaned.

"That's about as much of an answer as you'll get, I'm afraid," Tyr said. "Best to let him sleep, in that case."

"What, did a cat get his silver tongue?" Odin sneered.

"Nay, a dwarf," Tyr replied. "He paid a hefty price for your gift."

Thor's stomach lurched. He looked down at his brother's unpeaceful sleep, horrified as he realised it was indeed pain, _horriffic_ pain, that troubled his brother so. Perhaps Loki wasn't so naive after all, if he would go to such lengths: he had to understand what was at stake, and that Odin was not just going to have second thoughts at the last minute. What kind of monster would do such a thing to a _child_? Thor bit back a sob of grief, for having failed Loki and for his brother's own loss. Loki wasn't called the Silvertongue for nothing; the dwarf may as well have killed the boy, after having removed such an integral part of Loki's Self! Thor resolved to find the one who did this and take a page from Mephisto's book, make the dwarf suffer long and horribly ....

Thor's grisly plans were interrupted by his father, who was speaking to Tyr.

"You mean ... _he's_ the son ...?" Odin asked, dumbstruck. "The eye's not—"

"From me? No. Sorry to disappoint you, father." Tyr didn't really sound sorry at all.

"Well, all the more reason not to accept the blasted thing, then!" Odin decided, bashing the box to the ground.

The eye rolled up to Thor's foot.

Reluctantly, Thor turned to Volstagg and gently handed Loki over. He was gratified that his friends and allies seemed as horrified by what had been done to Loki as he was. He felt like he could see pity even in Iron Man's metal mask.

When he turned back around, he found Odin and Tyr watching him.

"Well, son? Whose side are you on?" Odin asked, more gently this time; he seemed to understand that Thor, loving his brother as he did and doubtless wanting vengeance, might need careful handling — and a moment to regroup.

Thor used the moment well.

The God of Thunder picked the eye up and walked over to his father, his own eyes on the orb. With lightning speed, Thor then pulled the patch from Odin's face and shoved the new eye into the empty socket; Odin stumbled back with a roar. Doubtless it hurt the old god, since the skin had long healed over, but Thor figured, considering the pain Odin had intended to visit upon billions of innocents in Midgard — not to mention the suffering Loki went through — the man didn't deserve his pity. Still, as Odin writhed in agony before him, Thor felt bad for his action, even as he believed it was necessary.

Panting, Odin finally straightened and looked around with eyes both old and new. As Thor watched him, amazement replaced pain on Odin's face. Then, as the king looked on the brave Midgardians that stood before him, a few handfuls against his legions, shame replaced amazement.

"They _are_ my children," he whispered. "Such _worthy_ children, those that a father could be proud of ...." He turned to Thor. "Like you." He turned to Tyr. "And you." He turned to the army of Asgard. "And all of you."

He turned to where Volstagg stood holding Loki. "And you, my boy, even you." Odin reached out for his youngest son.

Volstagg shot Thor a panicked look, clearly wondering of he should defy Odin, who had made his hatred for Loki well-known, or not. Fandral, who had been stroking the boy's hair, looked like he might even draw his sword on the All-Father. Even Hogun and Sif took a step closed to Volstagg, closing in protectively (though Thor honestly wasn't sure if it was out of genuine care for Loki or just because of their oath to him).

Thor looked into his father's eyes and saw tears there — the first in a long, long time. The God of Thunder nodded to Volstagg, who gently laid the boy in the All-Father's arms.

"My boy, forgive me," Odin said to his wounded, sleeping son. "I thank you for your gift — and for all the losses it has saved us from. When all this is over, I will have a new tongue forged for you. You can be a _true_ Silvertongue!"

"No need for that," the Hel-Wolf grumbled.

Thor was about to snap at it, thinking the Hel-Wolf meant they were better off without Loki being capable of speech. But then the wretched creature, to the disgust of all, retched up its latest meal.

"The dwarf was just going to throw it out," the Hel-Wolf explained, "so I convinced it that, since the boy had ensnared me, then betrayed me, it would be a sort of therapy for me to eat his lying tongue."

"So why give it back, now?" Thor asked, perplexed.

The Hel-Wolf shrugged. "I guess I kinda like the little bastard. At least I'm never bored around him. And if I'm his loyal pet, maybe he won't let you keep me in a cage. Every boy needs a dog, right?"

"In other words, he put my bridle on you, and so now you feel obligated to help him," Thor translated.

"Pretty much," the hound agreed.

Thor almost felt sorry for the thing, but knew Loki wouldn't do anything cruel to it. Well, not unnecessarily.

Odin, meanwhile, had the healers retrieve the appendage and clean it up. This sort of wound, though, was not easily healed, Thor knew. To his pleased astonishment, Odin, with his powers over creation, handled that himself — sitting on the ground with Loki cradled in his arms, he did not heal so much as recreate.

"What changed your mind? About him, I mean," Thor asked, gesturing to Loki, as Odin worked.

"This new eye. I'd forgotten how much more I could see when I had two, and this one lets me see even more than before. To think I thought I had to _lose_ an eye to gain wisdom." Odin chuckled. "Now I see into the very heart and soul of things. Loki may not be squeaky-clean, but then, none among us are — and now the worst of him is gone. With that loss, he has a great deal more compassion than even many of my most trusted men. I and many others have been letting our hate for what he was blind us to what he _is_ — but no more. But I need your help on this, Thor. It will not be so easy to make the others see the truth. They will think this new eye of mine betwitched."

"And you don't?" Thor asked.

"It is like knowing the difference between being asleep and being awake. While in a lie, you question, are uncertain of whether you are experiencing truth or lies. In the wake of truth, you _know_ the difference. Speaking of which ... rise and shine, little one," the All-father bade Loki wake, the work on restoring the boy's tongue done.

As Loki opened his eyes, Odin smiled gently; Thor had almost forgotten this side of his father existed. It was almost like watching a stranger — or dimly-remembered dream.

"There, now," Odin said. "How do you feel?"

Loki was so startled, he backed right out of Odin's arms, onto the ground, and scrambled to his feet.

"It's all right, Loki — you're safe," Thor soothed.

"I ... he ..." Loki stopped, eyes wide in surprise. He stuck his tongue out, staring down at, cross-eyed, and grabbing it with his fingers a moment. He glanced around. "Am I dreaming?" he asked.

"Father gave you back your tongue — with a little help from the Hel-Wolf," Thor told him.

Loki looked at the Hel-Wolf in surprise. "Thank you," he told it. It shrugged back, and Loki grinned. Loki then turned to Tyr. "And you, Tyr, for following my orders. I would have understood if you hadn't, and no one would have blamed you for not."

"Ah, well .... I think _Hela_ would have." The God of War then winked at the God of Mischief, who winked back with a smirk.

The smirk quickly fell when Loki turned back to Odin. Hesitantly, the boy took a step forward. "Thank you," he said warily.

"'Tis I who thank _you_ , my son," Odin insisted, nodding.

Loki then seemed to notice that the new eye was in its rightful place. He grinned broadly. "You're wearing it!"

"I am," Odin grinned back. Then the All-Father opened his arms. "Come here, my son." 

Loki hesitated just a moment more before rushing into his father's embrace, fear apparently giving way finally to hope. Thor could barely see the boy's face, but he could see well enough to note happy tears flowing, and felt an answering sting in his own eyes. Before he might suffocate the boy, Odin step back and knelt down, keeping his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Loki. For everything," the All-Father told the child seriously.

"I am too," Loki said, tears still in his eyes while he smiled contritely. "For what I was like before, I mean."

Nodding, Odin rose and turned to face the army, with an arm around Loki's shoulder. "Change of plan," he revealed. "Rather than razing Midgard to the ground, we will seek out the Serpent, and do our best to confront him whilst protecting our human brothers."

"Yes, but how do we _find_ him?" Thor asked. "The Warriors and the Avengers have been scouring the globe, with no luck!"

"With your brother's gift," Odin replied, tapping the cheek under his new eye. "Even from here, I can seem him," he added with a predatory grin. "But I think we will also need some of your brother's cleverness, methinks." He smiled fondly down at Loki.

Loki nodded. "The Serpent is too powerful for us to fight head-on and defeat. We must trick him into defeating _himself_. Worry not, brother; you have protected me all this while, but it is now _my_ turn to do that for _you_."

"I am not worried, my brother," Thor replied, ruffling Loki's hair. _Let Fear come,_ Thor thought.

Love and hope would make them ready for it.

_~FINIS~_

**Author's Note:**

> This whole thing originally started as my way of explaining why Loki tried to take Sif's hair again, and why he and the Hel-Wolf went into Limbo. I'm not sure why the idea of Loki getting his tongue cut out popped into my head, but I must say the fic still turned out less dark that I *thought* it would. Fluffy, even. XD
> 
> There's more Loki stuff (and other Marvel fanworks), including links to my "Looking at Loki" column, and my Loki cosplays and crafts, to be found at my [Marvel fansite](http://mc.wolfenm.com). I also have a Trickster-oriented tumblr blog, [hellyeahtrickster](http://hellyeahtrickster.tumblr.com).
> 
> ###########  
> If you've enjoyed my writing, I invite you to explore my original fantasy storyverse, [Gaiankind](http://gaiankind.com)! You can even find Gaiankind stories for free [here](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Gaiankind) on AO3!


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